Thursday Prime

Glory be to the Blessed Buddha and to the Divine Dharma and to the Hallowed Sangha, both now and forever and ever. Swaha.

Hail, Holy Wisdom; hail, Blessed Dark-Womb of the Unborn, our Translucent Light, our Sweetness, and our Strength. To you do we make supplication, subdued children under Mara’s dominion. To you do we send up our lamentations and afflictions in this valley of dukkha. Turn then, most gracious Tara, your eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our most lingering exile in samsara, show unto us the Immaculate Seed of your Most Beloved Bodhichild. O Temperate One, Most Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mother.

Om Tare, Tuttare, Ture Swaha.

Lauding the Infinite One: (Buddhist Psalms, by S. Yamabe and L. Adams Beck, [1921])
1. Since He who is Infinite attained unto the Wisdom Supreme, the long, long ages of ten Kalpas have rolled away.
The Light of His Dharma-Kaya is in this world eyes to the blind.
2. Seek refuge in the True Illumination! For the light of His Wisdom is infinite.
In all the worlds there is nothing upon which His light shines not.
3. Take refuge in the Light universal.
As the Light of His deliverance is boundless, he who is within it is freed from the lie of affirmation or denial.
4. Seek refuge in That which is beyond understanding,
For His glory is all-embracing as the air. It shineth and pierceth all things, and there is nothing hid from the light thereof.
5. Take refuge in the ultimate Strength, for His pure radiance is above all things. He who perceiveth this Light is set free from the fetters of Karma.
6. Seek refuge in the World-Honoured.
Since His glorious radiance is above all He is called the Buddha of Divine Light. And by Him is the darkness of the three worlds Enlightened.
7. Excellent is the Light of His Wisdom. Therefore is he called the Buddha of Clear Shining.
He who is within the Light, being washed from the soil of Karma, shall attain unto the final deliverance.
8. Take refuge in the Mighty Consoler. Wheresoever His mercy shineth throughout all the worlds, men rejoice in its gladdening light.
9. The darkness of ignorance perisheth before His light. Therefore is He hailed as the Buddha of Radiant Wisdom. All the Buddhas and the threefold choir of sages praise Him.
10. His glory shineth for ever and ever. Therefore is He called the Buddha of Everlasting Light.
Most excellent is the virtue of this light, for he who perceiveth it is born into Paradise without dissolution of being.
11. The glory of the Infinite is boundless, therefore is He known as the Buddha of Light Past Comprehension.
All the Buddhas glorify the majesty of His holiness that leadeth all the earth into His Kingdom.
12. His clear shining transcendeth all revelation, nor can human speech utter it. Therefore is He named the Buddha of Light Unspeakable.
All the Buddhas glorify the glory of the Infinite One who is Buddha through His promise of Light immeasurable. Swaha.

The Trisagion
Blessed Buddha, Mighty Lord, Unborn and Undying…Have mercy on us
Blessed Buddha, Mighty Lord, Unborn and Undying…Have mercy on us
Blessed Buddha, Mighty Lord, Unborn and Undying…Have mercy on us

Supplication
Mother Tara, Noble Queen of the Unborn,
In you we take refuge…
Immaculate Heart of Tara, Out of Your Infinite Compassion,
We consecrate ourselves to you…
Tara-Consoler of the afflicted, Dispense your Healing Mantle,
For we have recourse to you.

Glory be to the Blessed Buddha and to the Divine Dharma and to the Hallowed Sangha, both now and forever and ever. Swaha.

From The Platform Sutra:

“Good friends, you must all with your own bodies receive the precepts of formlessness and recite in unison what I am about to say. It will make you see the threefold body of the Buddha in your own selves. ‘I take refuge in the pure Dharmakaya Buddha in my own physical body. I take refuge in the ten thousand hundred billion Nirmanakaya Buddhas in my own physical body. I take refuge in the future perfect Sambhogakaya Buddha in my own physical body.’ (Recite the above three times). The physical body is your own home; you cannot speak of turning to it. The threefold body which I just mentioned is within your own self-natures. Everyone in the world possesses it, but being deluded, he cannot see it and seeks the threefold body of the Tathagata on the outside. Thus he cannot find the threefold Buddha body in his own physical body.

“Good friends, listen! I shall make you see that there is a threefold Buddha body of your own self-natures in your own physical bodies. The threefold Buddha body is produced from your own natures. “What is the pure Dharmakaya Buddha? Good friends, although the nature of people in this world is from the outset pure in itself, the ten thousand things are all within their own natures. If people think of all the evil things, then they will practice evil; if they think of all the good things, then they will practice good. Thus it is clear that in this way all the dharmas are within your own natures, yet your own natures are always pure. The sun and the moon are always bright, yet if they are covered by clouds, although above they are bright, below they are darkened, and the sun, moon, stars, and planets cannot be seen clearly. But if suddenly the wind of wisdom should blow and roll away the clouds and mists, all forms in the universe appear at once. The purityof the nature of man in this world is like the blue sky; wisdom is like the sun, knowledge like the moon. Although knowledge and wisdom are always clear, if you cling to external environments, the floating clouds of false thoughts will create a cover, and your own natures cannot become clear. Therefore, if you meet a good teacher, open up the true Dharma, and waft aside your delusions and errors; inside and outside will become clear. Within your own natures the ten thousand things will all appear, for all things of themselves are within your own natures. Given a name, this is the pure Dharmakaya Buddha. Taking refuge in oneself is to cast aside all actions that are not good; this is known as taking refuge.

“What are the ten thousand hundred billion Nirmanakaya Buddhas? If you do not think, then your nature is empty; if you do think, then you yourself will change. If you think of evil things then you will change and enter hell; if you think of good things then you will change and enter heaven. [If you think of] harm you will change and become a beast; [if you think of] compassion you will change and become a Bodhisattva. [If you think of] intuitive wisdom you will change and enter the upper realms; [if you think of] ignorance you will change and enter the lower quarters. The changes of your own natures are extreme, yet the deluded person is not himself conscious of this. [Successive thoughts give rise to evil and evil ways are always practiced]? But if a single thought of good evolves, intuitive wisdom is born. [This is called the Nirmanakaya Buddha of your own nature.

What is the perfect Sambhogakaya Buddha?] As one lamp serves to dispel a thousand years of darkness, so one flash of wisdom destroys ten thousand years of ignorance. Do not think of the past; always think of the future; if your future thoughts are always good, you may be called the Sambhogakaya Buddha. An instant of thought of evil will result in the destruction of good which has continued a thousand years; an instant of thought of good compensates for a thousand years of evil and destruction. If from the timeless beginning future thoughts have always been good, you may be called the Sambhogakaya Buddha. Observed from the standpoint of the Dharmakaya, this is none other than the Nirmanakaya When successive thoughts are good, this then is the Sambhogakaya. Self-awakening and self-practice, this is ‘to take refuge.’ Skin and flesh form the physical body; the physical body is the home. This has nothing to do with taking refuge. If, however, you awaken to the threefold body, then you have understood the cardinal meaning.”

Our Lady of the Void has conceived the Bodhichild. The Noble Ones recognize the birthplace of the Sugatas and cry out: Behold! This is the Blessed Dharma-womb from which all trepidation’s cease.

From Bassui Zen (The Dark Buddha):

“It is said that one who practices the Way will remove obstructing demons. If one simply practices zazen and doesn’t chant sacred words from sutras, by what grace will he remove these obstructions?”

Bassui: “A robber does not break into the home of a poor child. The cave of demons and heretics, on the other hand, is rich with human egos and analytical thoughts. Clearly seeing into one’s nature is called practice, and the seat that puts an end to analytical thoughts is called zazen. When analytical thoughts are forgotten, views based on knowledge are also forgotten, leaving no trace of ego. The path where heavenly beings fulfill their desire to offer flowers no longer exists. There is no gate through which demons and heretics can secretly enter. What medal incantation can compare with this?

It is said in a sutra: ‘On perceiving that the Five Skandhas (form, feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness) are empty, one is saved from all kinds of pain and misfortune.’ That is why the special incantations cannot be compared with diligent practice of zazen. If, while devoting yourself to practice, you have thoughts of gain and, thinking it will prevent the interference from demons, you recite invocations from sutras, this kind of reasoning will immediately create a demon inside you, attracting demons from the outside, and causing chaos within, like a stinking carcass attracts blowflies. You will quickly lose sight of the seeds of right karma, add to mistaken views, and in the end enter the world of demons and have to drink molten iron. Though you may say you clearly understand this reasoning, if you don’t actually penetrate it to the core, forgetting yourself, there will be nothing you can do to prevent it from happening. The phoenix bird will stay away if you don’t plant phoenix trees. Ten million incantations can’t compare with once penetrating the Way of no-mind. Does anyone here realize this? Who is the one who realizes? Totsu !”

[Commentary from the series]:

Right zazen has nothing to do with physical posture. Sitting like a stone-statue dares the demons to attack as much as incessantly reciting a scripture passage with a weak intent to shield against such demonic assaults. The demon will only adapt itself to the tempo of the chant or begin to slowly chisel its way through cement-strength zazen. Only the Clear Light of Mind produces demon-proof protection and forms the Right Seat THAT transcends analytical thoughts. The only clear-seeing Buddha is a Dark Buddha. The demons cannot penetrate through ITs gateless-gate. Such a Dark-Translucent Light repels all manner of attacks from the evil one. A Dark Buddha has no thoughts of willful gain that only fuels the formation of inner-demons that also attracts demons from without. Such ill-fated and ego-generated attempts only confines one to the stinking carcass of the skandhas. A Dark Buddha’s Mind is an Empty-one: Self-Empty of all skandhic formations. Penetrating through the Dark Unborn Mind of Zen is the only sure Zazen regardless of its position. Such a no-position of Mind is the Right Penetration into the imageless-abode of the Shining Ones. Quick! What manner of demon or god then dare enter?

From From Hsin Hsin Ming: (The Terrible Twos):

The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however,
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.
To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood
the mind’s essential peace is disturbed to no avail.

[Commentary]:

The Way of the Unborn is easy when one discharges all manner of aberrations from the discriminatory mind. When the empty voices of love and hate are both silenced, All shines clearly in the transparent Light of Suchness. When mind makes the slightest movement then both heaven and hell intrude upon the reverie of the Eternal Satisfaction. The Truth is neither for nor against but resiliently rests on the Other Shore of Quiescent Stillness. Simply drop the search for meaning in all things and your disease will be cured. Mind’s Essential and Unified Stature is untouched and unsullied by the terrible-twos.

From The Secret Golden Light of the Unborn (The Living Midnight):

It is said that Great beings are born at the midnight hour. In ancient China there was talk of the “Living Midnight” that promoted the dark principle which instantly could dispel the false light of any day or night, symbolizing that it is in the minds perfect silence that your spirit is ready to meet its own true self– Tozen

Managing all one’s affairs with proper mindfulness does not conflict with one’s engaging in the spiritual technique; indeed, the Light is not distracted by sensate phenomena but proceeds to shed IT’s infinite Right Direction under all circumstances.

If you can turn-about and Recollect the unbounded resourcefulness that is always offered in the Unborn, then the technique of turning-around-the-light can be utilized whenever called-upon; yea, this is the essence of the practice as one is always adorned with Unborn Light.

The best time to perfect the technique is early morning when one is less-distracted by all the daily “noise”. Sitting quietly in the marvelous Recollective Ambiance one is empowered to fine-tune one’s inner-resources that will counterbalance all forthcoming outer activities; in this reflective fashion one orientates oneself in the Light and thus can always incur Right Reliance uninterruptedly whenever dealing with the human situation. Practicing in this fashion for two or three months will alert the Shining Ones who will then come and sanctify such spiritual-resourcefulness.

The ancients referred to sustaining this inner-resourcefulness as the Living-Midnight.

Firstly, the Living Midnight is a darkness to the senses yet enlightens the ways of the spirit with a Translucent Light. It is generated by the Dark Principle THAT disengages the false light of the senses; this Principle is a Living One and cannot be grasped by conceptualizations since IT is Unborn and primordially unconditioned.

Secondly, the Living Midnight is when the discriminatory-consciousness is voided and profound silence prevails. This silence expunges the false-self and reveals the primal-energy of the Unborn and Primordial Spirit THAT precedes all phenomena and is housed in deathlessness.

Lastly, the Living Midnight is also the true-midnight through which one translucently perceives the Real and Un-Created, thus expanding one’s mind with even greater powers of awareness (bodhipower). Now only profound stillness prevails.

Benedictus
Blessed be the Hallowed Lord of the Unborn;
because He has Revealed His Inmost-Self within his devotees:
And has raised-up a Salvific-Light unto us,
in the face of our enemies:
Once this Noble Self-Realization is reached,
nothing more need be done,
nor is there anything lost by doing nothing less than
basking in the divine Freedom of the Unborn.
Free to partake in His-Self without fear,
Thus filled with Right Devotion,
we unceasingly celebrate His Abiding Presence.
And You MY Child shall be called the Dharma-womb of the Most High:
for you shall go before the Unborn Lord to prepare His Way:
To bestow Buddha-gnosis upon those who live
in the darkness of ignorance.
In the tender compassion of our Dharma-Lord,
The dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To enlighten those who are in the bondage of Mara’s death,
And to guide all of us homeward bound in the Unborn.

Glory be to the Blessed Buddha and to the Divine Dharma and to the Hallowed Sangha, both now and forever and ever. Swaha.

May all the Buddhas and Dharma-Guardians bless us, protect us from all harm, and awaken us to the Light of Truth in the Unborn. Swaha.